Peek Inside Red Bull’s Toy Box

SALZBURG, Austria — This city is well known as the birthplace of Mozart, the backdrop for the Sound of Music and simply for being a beautiful place. But thanks to worldwide interest in caffeinated energy drinks and Dietrich Mateschitz's desire to share his love of aircraft and race cars, one of this city's newest places to visit is known as Hangar 7.

Located at the Salzburg Airport, Hangar 7 could be called the Red Bull toy box. It is where Mateschitz, who co-founded Red Bull in 1987, stores all his coolest toys. It is a massive glass-enclosed hangar complete with a changing collection of airplanes belonging to the Flying Bulls. It's also got an assortment of Formula 1 cars sponsored by Red Bull, along with a handful of racing motorcycles as well.

We recently paid a visit to Hangar 7 and got a chance to walk across the apron and peek inside Hangar 8, where a fleet of more than 20 Red Bull aircraft is stored and maintained.

Hangar 8's appearance is stunning, and a team of more than 60 people maintains, manages and flies the fleet. Everything is flown regularly. Most perform throughout Europe during the airshow season, and a few are used primarily for business.

All summer long a busy flying schedule keeps four full-time pilots and a handful of part-time pilots in the air most of the time. Whether flying a graceful aerobatic routine in the F4U Corsair, flying to a nearby lake in the Cessna Caravan (on amphibious floats) or transporting VIPs to an F1 race in the vintage DC-6, these guys enjoy some of the best aviation jobs in the world.

Photo: Red Bull

Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair

The aircraft inside Hangar 7 include several World War II planes alongside modern Formula 1 cars. This Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair once belonged to Flying Bulls chief pilot Sigi Angerer, who flew it in airshows around Europe. One day he took Mateschitz for a ride — you can see the small passenger window behind the cockpit. Mateschitz was hooked and the Flying Bulls team was born.

The Corsair is Raimund Riedmann's favorite airplane to fly at the airshows. The Flying Bulls' chief fixed-wing pilot says the former U.S. Navy Fighter is graceful in the air and with 2,400 horsepower on tap, there is plenty of power to put a smile on your face.

In front of the Corsair sits the STR3 Formula 1 car raced by Sebastian Vettel when the current world champion drove for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2008.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Dornier Alpha Jets

At the center of Hangar 7's ceiling hangs an unusual meeting room. Building codes require two exits for every room, so in addition to the winding walkway, there is a box with a ladder on the near side for a quick exit.

Below are two of the four Dornier Alpha Jets flown by Red Bull pilots. The jets are former military trainers and were bought from the German Air Force. Fully aerobatic and with two seats, they're often used to give the ultimate VIP ride. They sit in front of the Cessna Caravan used for visiting many of the lakes in the region.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Lockheed P-38L

Red Bull's Lockheed P-38L is an airplane familiar to many air-racing fans in the United States. For many years this was the airplane raced by Lefty Gardner as "White Lightnin'" at the annual Reno Air Races in Nevada.

After an engine problem prompted an unscheduled landing in a farmer's field in 2001, the airplane made its way to Austria. It was restored as it flew as an air racer with sleek cowlings, albeit with polish in place of the white paint job and now flies just about every week all summer long.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Piper Super Cub

Of all the planes in Hangar 7, this is the only one that does not belong to the Flying Bulls. Mateschitz owns this Piper Super Cub. It occupies a special place in the collection, because it is the aircraft in which Mateschitz learned to fly. He still flies it today.

Many winters the Super Cub, like most Austrians, dons skis for flying in the snow.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Car

Not all the flying happens in the air. This Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 car shows some complex aerodynamic engineering that would make many aircraft engineers wince in the wind tunnel.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

North American B-25J Mitchell

This North American B-25J Mitchell has been polished to a high shine and features a small leather couch where the nose guns once were. Surrounded by plexiglas, the nose now offers a fantastic place to watch the world go by.

The plane sits next to the RB5 race car Vettel drove to second place in the F1 drivers' championship in 2009.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Pilatus PC-6 Porter

Hangar 8 is a busy, busy place. A large team of mechanics is always working on several aircraft. One day they might be replacing the engine on the Pilatus PC-6 Porter used to carry the Red Bull skydivers (pictured above). The next day they might be changing the oil in the P-38.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Extra 300

In addition to the fleet of Flying Bulls aircraft, the crew also works on some aircraft flown in the Red Bull Air Race series. Here is the two-seat Extra 300 used for demonstration flights, stripped of its bodywork for off-season maintenance.

The Edge 540 of 2008 Red Bull Air Race champion Hannes Arch is also tucked away in a corner of Hangar 8.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Douglas DC-6

The Flying Bulls' Douglas DC-6 originally was delivered to former Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito. After a long life spent flying around the globe, the airplane was restored to like-new condition and includes an interior to rival those of any business jet.

The vintage four-prop plane is flown weekly during the summer, and often shuttles VIPs to F1 races throughout Europe. It often garners far more attention upon arrival than the jets, says chief fixed-wing pilot Raimund Riedmann.

"When we are going to Formula 1 events" Riedmann says, "there are all those BBJs [Boeing Business Jets] and Gulfstreams coming in, and we are coming in with this."

A definite lesson on how to arrive in style.

Riedmann says this is his other favorite to fly in addition to the Corsair. The teamwork required with a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer is like stepping back in time, "it's fun working as a team."

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Bell TAH-1F Cobra

Chief rotary-wing pilot Siegried Schwarz spent more than 20 years flying as a mountain rescue pilot in Austria. Today he flies in airshows for the Flying Bulls.

Mateschitz once asked Schwarz what kind of helicopter he wished was in the hangar. Schwarz responded that it would be great to fly a Bell Cobra in front of the crowds. It wasn't long before Mateschitz added this Bell TAH-1F Cobra to the stable.

In addition to the Cobra, Schwarz often flies the aerobatic Bo105 helicopter at airshows. As one of the few aerobatic helicopter pilots in the world, Schwarz occasionally gives a lesson or two to some other Red Bull employees, including world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Bede BD-5

The latest addition to the Flying Bulls, and the smallest. The tiny jet-powered Bede BD-5 arrived just before Christmas. Sitting with its wings removed, the airplane is currently undergoing a complete overhaul before being prepared for this summer's flying season.

Pilot Raimund Riedmann recently returned from Arizona, where he was getting checked out in the single-seater. He says the plane's diminutive size makes it a hoot to fly, and it feels much faster than it actually is.

"Coming in with 250 knots, it's so small it looks like flying near Mach 1 or something," he says.

Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Falcon Business Jet

Not all the planes are flown purely for fun. This Falcon business jet carries Red Bull execs and VIPs around the world. With a range of more than 4,000 miles, the DC-6 behind it can fly just as far as the Falcon but takes twice as long to get there.